Lloyd’s Register and University of Antwerp’s TRANSPORTNET join forces for Antwerp Rail School 2010

From May 17 - 21, 2010 the University of Antwerp opens its doors for the first 'Antwerp Rail School' organised by its international network of leading University Groups, TRANSPORTNET, in close co-operation with Lloyd's Register Rail, specialist provider of expert advice for rail rolling stock and infrastructure. The theme will be 'Railway to the future: business and academia join forces'.www.antwerprailschool2010.org, from where a registration form can be completed and downloaded.

The school will benefit both people working in rail operations and infrastructure businesses who want to improve their knowledge and learn new skills, and students at advanced Masters / PhD level who want to better understand the rail business and apply their learning in this challenging environment.

Antwerp Rail School 2010 will be held at the premises of the University of Antwerp. This innovative approach has been pioneered by Lloyd's Register working with TRANSPORTNET with the objective of bringing scientific knowledge and rail practice closer together. At the same time it will be an excellent opportunity to promote the rail world to students, acquainting them with a working environment which carries a long history and offers substantial growth possibilities.

Programme The overall programme covers five days; participants can either join the entire week or opt for one or more days. Subjects will be Market Analysis (Monday), Technical and Safety Analysis (Tuesday) and Investment Analysis (Wednesday), Freight Niche Markets (Thursday) and Passenger Innovation and Policy (Friday). Speakers from the TRANSPORTNET universities will contribute conceptual, framework and process inputs, whilst well-known rail and rail supporting organisations will give practical, in-depth insight into their strategic decision-making. Welcome drinks on the first day as well as a leisure programme in Antwerp will be included.

Costs and practical issues Lloyd's Register and the University of Antwerp are pleased to welcome applications to join the School in w/c May 17 - the deadline for application has been set on Friday, April 23, 2010. Full programme details, speaker profiles, practical details as well as costs and discount possibilities can be found on the website;

Bundling strengths "At Lloyd's Register Rail, we are proud of our reputation of serving a wide range of clients and thus being able to bring several rail parties together. We are happy to share these benefits with the University of Antwerp's TRANSPORTNET, enabling members of the rail community to broaden their scope and to share their experiences," says Jack Doomernik, Domain Manager Infrastructure & Interfaces. Thierry Vanelslander of the Department of Transport and Regional Economics at the University of Antwerp adds: "Within our Department as well as our international network TRANSPORTNET, it is considered increasingly relevant to share our academic competences and network with business and industry. The rail industry has a solid reputation with innovative perspectives. We see great opportunities for students at advanced level who want to get the chance of making real-life applications and to get in touch with business."

Notes to editors

Lloyd's Register provides independent assurance to companies operating high risk capital intensive assets in energy and transportation to enhance the safety of life, property and the environment, so helping its clients ensure safe, responsible and sustainable supply chains. The Group comprises charities and non-charitable companies, with the latter supporting the charities in their main goal.

About Lloyd's Register Rail

Lloyd's Register Rail is a leading specialist team of consultants who provide expert advice and independent assurance services to the rail industry. With offices in key locations in Europe and Asia Pacific we provide a one stop shop for technical, safety and risk management matters for infrastructure, vehicle fleets and the interactions between them. Our centres of competence comprise infrastructure, rolling stock and its interfaces. Our capabilities for infrastructure and rolling stock cover the entire lifecycle: from the initial considerations through procurement, design & build, testing & certification up to and including operation and maintenance.

Lloyd's Register Rail is a member of the Lloyd's Register Group, an independent risk management organisation that works to help to improve its clients' quality, safety, environmental and business performance throughout the world. Its expertise and activities cover transportation, shipping, energy and other asset-based industries.

About TRANSPORTNET

TRANSPORTNET is a network of leading university groups involved in outstanding transport research and high-level education, composed of members from several European countries, created in March 2003. These groups belong to schools of economics and engineering, and their activities cover all modes and geographical ranges of transport.

The network's purpose is to reinforce and stimulate the quality and efficiency of the research activities carried out by its members and to integrate some of those activities in research programmes of higher complexity carried out at the network level.

Initiatives of TransportNET:

* Advanced courses in transport-related topics, especially targeted for Advanced Master or PhD students of several schools, through exchange of professors and of students.

* Extended visits of PhD students of one school to other schools in the network.

* Organisation of summer courses, workshops and conferences, with active engagement of senior and junior members of the participating schools.

* Systematic integration of doctoral committees of each school by senior professors of other schools in the network.

* Joint participation of several groups in research projects.

* Mutual support in conceptual, methodological and applied developments.

The network presently consists of eight universities: University of the Aegean - STT, University of Antwerp TPR, Delft University of Technology - 3ME, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - IWW, ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne- Transport, Universite de Lyon 2 - LET, Università degli Studi di Genova - DIEM and Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa - IST.

About University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp's (UA) roots go back to 1852. The University has about 13,000 students, which makes it the third largest university in Flanders. Over 1,200 international students (exchange students not included) are registered at the UA. The University of Antwerp has seven faculties of which the faculty of Applied Economics is one. To this Faculty belongs the Department of Transport and Regional Economics. The Department of Transport and Regional Economics has, in recent decades, experienced spectacular growth, driven by developments in both business and politics. The Department has achieved many successes over the years: authoritative publications have materialised and thousands of students have been trained. The lines of research pursued by the Department of Transport and Regional Economics are located on the interface of general and business economics. The rich set of tools that the fields of transport and spatial economics offer are apparent in the broad range of research procedures applied. These include strategic analyses, methods of economic research and assessment, information gathering and analysis, operational research, model-based analysis, forecasting and simulations. The research activities unfold within the framework of programmes instigated by the University and the authorities (regional, federal and European) as well as specific assignments from the public and private sectors. Doctoral programmes are available. The Department is a participant in TRANSPORTNET, the University network for transport education and research.

Lloyd's Register: Celebrating 250 years of service In 1760, 11 men met in Edward Lloyd's coffee house to talk about publishing a list of ships, a register to define their quality and safeguard life and property carried on them. In the years since then we have applied our expertise across the energy and transportation sectors, helping to make the world a safer place. In 2010 we are celebrating 250 years of service and quality and we are looking forward to the new challenges the future brings.

Services are provided by members of the Lloyd's Register Group.

For further information see www.lr.org/entities

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